2005-09-03 – By Jane C. Parikh – jparikh@kalamazoogazette.com 388-8558 – The Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport will host a “wire-cutting” ceremony Tuesday to formally announce the availability of wireless Internet access at the airport.

Airport executives and others from the community will officially unveil the service at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The air terminal went wireless on Aug. 11.

“Passengers will be able to come into the airport and fire up the wireless system and get onto the Internet, “said Cliff Moshoginis, assistant airport director. “There was a tremendous request for that use.”

The airport, which is owned and operated by Kalamazoo County, annually serves more than 500,000 passengers. About 75 percent are business travelers who may want to stay in touch with their offices, clients and others.

The wireless service will be provided at no cost to the airport by ICOA Inc. ICOA is a Rhode Island-based national provider of wireless broadband Internet networks that spent about $15,000 to install the wireless equipment.

Airport Director Kenneth Potts has said ICOA will make money on roaming agreements that users have with networks like Verizon or SBC or by charging users without a wireless service plan $6.95 for 24 hours of access.

Potts said the airport will receive a minimum of $3,000 in annual revenue from ICOA.

2006-09-09 – San Jose, Calif. — ICOA, a Rhode Island-based provider of Wi-Fi networks for public venues, said on Thursday that it has acquired San Jose-based AuthDirect, a privately held firm that provides service management platforms for Wi-Fi hotspot service providers. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. AuthDirect’s service management platform includes customized branding, credit card merchant gateway integration and flexibility to incorporate access control devices from over 15 hardware manufacturers. The company’s technology is used by McDonald’s restaurant hotspots and provides services for Barnes & Noble, Tully’s Coffee and Taco Bell hotspots managed by Cometa Networks.

2006-01-06 – Gerald R. Ford International Airport announced it has added free wireless access throughout its passenger terminal. Wifi users will now be able to log online via laptop or handheld PDA anywhere in the facility, from the curb front to the airplane.

Although many airports nationwide charge travelers anywhere from $6-$10 to access wireless, The Kent County Department of Aeronautics, which operates and manages the airport, footed the approximately $67,000 bill for their network. They hope the free access will give users added convenience, efficiency and productivity and “is part of the Aeronautics Boardâ€™s ongoing focus on enhancing customer service,” said KCDA Marketing and Communications Manager Bruce Schedlbauer.

The wireless network went live December 16, and is powered by Rhode Island-based ICOA Airport Networks, which runs networks at approximately 25 other airports around the country, as well as marinas, RV resorts and campgrounds.

Along with providing consistent high-speed accessibility, network security was among the top concerns as the system was developed. “The Ford Airport Wi-Fi system is an enterprise-class WLAN, which utilizes a number of different security protocols, as well as supporting various client mechanisims – such as VPNs like iPass,” said Pam Brown, Vice President of Airport Development at ICOA.

Users should see network speeds ranging from at least 512k to full T1. The structure of the network offers consistent access throughout the terminal, eliminating the lost connections caused by movement through a series of hotspots. The ICOA network also supports both airline offices and workers in addition to the public travelers and users.

To log on, make sure to set your SSID to flyGRR. ICOA offers a free 24/7 help line (800.277.5828) for users who have difficulty logging on, and can also be reached via email at support@icoacorp.com.

NEW WINDSOR, N.Y. Stewart International Airport about 70 miles north of New York City is now “unwired.” That is, the terminal now features Wi-Fi Internet wireless service for the convenience of passengers and others using the facility.

The high-speed broadband wireless network provides enterprise-class Wi-Fi service in the terminal, to airline areas and to other airport tenants, Stewart officials said in a news release.

Chuck Seliga, president of the airport, said it was part of operator National Express Corp.’s plans to improve customer service and provide amenities that “improve productivity, reduce costs and enhance our passengers’ travel experience.”

The network is powered by ICOA’s Airport Network Solutions, which has installations in 12 airports.

Stewart International Airport is near Stewart, N.Y., about 70 miles up the Hudson Valley from downtown New York.

The Poughkeepsie Journal is owned by Gannett, parent company of USA TODAY.

WARWICK, R.I. — ICOA, Inc. (OTCBB:ICOA), a leading provider of neutral-host wireless broadband Internet networks and managed services in airports, restaurants, marinas, hotels and metro hot zones, today announced the addition of Charleston International Airport (CHS) to its national neutral-host Wi-Fi network. The Charleston airport serves over 1.6 million passengers annually. The growing ANS network is currently operational in eight airports and serves over 22 million passengers annually.

The new high-speed broadband wireless Wi-Fi service for CHS is powered by Airport Network Solutions, an ICOA company, in partnership with Aerolina, a leading provider of broadband Internet access to hotels, parks in the Southeast and to the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce’s ThinkSpot™ hotspot network. The new high-speed broadband wireless Internet network offers passengers at CHS secure, affordable and convenient wireless Internet access from anywhere in the terminal and will provide WLAN services for airport administration and operations functions, airlines and airport concessionaires.

ICOA and Aerolina have partnered to provide design, deployment, and maintenance for the network and ICOA will provide ongoing customer care and the full suite of its back-office solutions including authentication, billing and reporting, from AuthDirect, an ICOA company. The national ICOA-powered airport network includes Spokane International Airport (GEG), the Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana Airport (BTR), Sacramento International Airport (SMF), Manchester Airport (MHT), Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), Fresno-Yosemite International Airport (FYI) and Killeen Municipal Airport (GRK).

Passengers with Wi-Fi enabled laptops or PDAs can connect to the Internet to check their e-mail, access their corporate servers, download important documents and surf the Web, with unlimited access from anywhere in the airport for only $6.95 per day. Airport information such as flight schedules, ground transportation information, passenger services and security bulletins can also be accessed at no charge. The new public wireless Internet service is available throughout the entire terminal and does not require users to install or use proprietary software. As a neutral-host network, the ICOA-powered solution for Charleston International Airport will also allow subscribers of branded services, such as iPass and Boingo, access to the network.

“ICOA is pleased to partner with Aerolina in powering this neutral host solution for Charleston International Airport,” said ICOA President Rick Schiffmann. “ANS is the leading national provider of airport-wide neutral-host Wi-Fi networks. We look forward to providing Aerolina and CHS with the full complement of ICOA’s Wi-Fi expertise and rapidly growing national roaming capabilities.”

12/21/04 – ICOA, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ICOA) announced today that the company, along with Nokia and Marriott, are included in a special section of the December 27, 2004 issue of Forbes magazine.

The special section in Forbes, titled the “Wi-Fi Revolution: Unleashing New Business Opportunities Within and Beyond the Enterprise,” covers the rapidly growing Wi-Fi industry. In tandem with the special section, the company unveiled its new brand and marketing campaign called “We Power Wi-Fi. Heard of Us? You Will.”

Rick Schiffmann, president of ICOA, said, “This national exposure in conjunction with our recent national ‘Best of Show’ award by Jupitermedia is the launch of a new outreach and branding campaign to drive recognition of the considerable progress the company is making. ICOA is executing to plan, and we will continue to bring the exciting ICOA story to Wall Street and Main Street.”

ICOA, Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: ICOA) and the city of Killeen have launched a neutral-host high-speed broadband wireless network throughout the entire Killeen-Ft. Hood Regional Airport (GRK), serving GRK’s passengers as well as airlines and other airport tenants. The new network offers passengers at GRK secure, affordable and convenient wireless Internet access from anywhere in the terminal and will provide WLAN services for airport administration and operations functions, airlines and airport concessionaires.

The launch also included the installation of public access Internet kiosks, allowing passengers without Wi-Fi enabled devices such as laptops or PDAs, to conveniently access the Internet, their corporate servers, email and browse the web.

With the deployment of GRK, ICOA’s Airport Network Solutions subsidiary now serves over 20 million airport passengers per year through airport-wide neutral-host Wi-Fi networks also located in Greater Baton Rouge Louisiana Airport (BTR), Manchester Airport (MHT), Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), Fresno-Yosemite International Airport (FYI), Spokane International Airport (GEG) and Sacramento International Airport (SMF).

“We are excited to partner with industry-leader ICOA to offer high-speed wireless Internet access for our airline passengers at Killeen-Ft. Hood Regional Airport,” said Don Christian, director of Aviation. “GRK is a new, state of the art airport with facilities and infrastructure serving the needs of business travelers today and tomorrow, our armed services and the local community. We are committed to providing outstanding customer service and cost effective services, which improve productivity, reduce costs and enhance our passengers’ travel experience. The addition of public wireless Internet access is a natural extension of this continuing commitment and an exciting new service for our passengers, vendors and tenants.”

Passengers with Wi-Fi enabled laptops or PDAs can connect to the Internet to check their e-mail, access their corporate servers, download important documents and surf the Web, with unlimited access from anywhere in the airport for only $6.95 per day. Airport information such as flight schedules, ground transportation information, passenger services and security bulletins can also be accessed at no charge. The new public wireless Internet service is available throughout the entire terminal and does not require users to install or use proprietary software. As a neutral-host network, the Killeen-Ft. Hood Regional Airport/ICOA solution will also allow subscribers of branded services, such as iPass and Boingo, access to the network.

“With the launch of Killeen as our seventh airport, ICOA is emerging as a major airport Wi-Fi network provider,” said ICOA executive vice president Rick Schiffmann. “Our airport-wide approach makes it more convenient for passengers to connect instantly in all public areas of the airport rather than having to ‘sniff out’ limited hotspots and allows the airport authority to securely and cost-effectively offer and manage WLAN services to all tenants.”

2004-04-13 – ICOA, Warwick, R.I., has activated Wi-Fi services at Clermont County Airport, Ohio, the company said. ICOA has been contracted by Sporty’s Pilot Shop to provide equipment and support for the deployment of Wi-Fi high-speed Internet access at Sporty’s cafe at Clermont County Airport, where Sporty’s is the fixed-base operator for private aircraft. The Hot Spot allows anyone with a wireless-enabled computer, personal digital assistant or tablet personal computer to access the Internet, free of charge, from the cafe and retail shop.